Escape Velocity Calculator

Personal expenditure < personal capital income. Cross that line and you're no longer falling, you're in orbit. Pull the levers, dial the assumptions, and see the year your capital's own income overtakes what you spend.

Escape velocity

Set your numbers below.

Levers

The numbers you actually control. Drag the slider or type an exact figure — they stay in sync.

$
$ / yr
$ / yr
%
years
Assumptions

The parts nobody can pin down. Dial them up or down and watch the crossover move — that's the point.

%/yr
%/yr
%
%

Capital income vs. expenses

Projected capital income versus expenses Line chart showing capital income and expenses over the projection horizon, with the escape-velocity crossover marked.
Capital income Expenses Escape velocity

Year by year

Year Capital Capital income Expenses Gap
Not advice

This tool models compounding under fixed assumptions you choose. Real markets don't move in straight lines — sequence-of-returns risk, taxes, and life itself will all deviate from whatever you dial in here. It's a way to reason about the mechanics, not a forecast, and nothing it shows is investment, tax, or legal advice.